9,508 KLA Corporation $KLAC Shares Sold by Compass Financial Management LLC

Key Points

• Compass Financial Management cut its KLA stake by 55.4% in the third quarter, selling 9,508 shares and retaining 7,654 shares valued at about $1.49 million.
• KLA insiders sold 219,173 shares worth approximately $42.2 million over the past three months; CEO Richard Wallace and EVP Brian Lorig were among the sellers.
• KLA reported quarterly revenue of $4.14 billion, up 28.9% year over year, and earnings per share of $1.22, beating analyst estimates. The article also cites AI-related demand as a potential driver of further growth.

Compass Financial Management LLC cut its position in shares of KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report) by 55.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,654 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 9,508 shares during the quarter. Compass Financial Management LLC's holdings in KLA were worth $1,492,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KLAC. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in shares of KLA by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 94 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $139,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in shares of KLA by 36.4% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 60 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Stiles Financial Services Inc raised its stake in shares of KLA by 1.0% in the first quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 1,783 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,625,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of KLA by 2.2% in the third quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,656 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $518,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its position in KLA by 3.7% in the third quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 1,923 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $375,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. 86.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at KLA

In related news, EVP Brian Lorig sold 59,586 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.13, for a total transaction of $12,401,634.18. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 77,681 shares in the company, valued at $16,167,746.53. This represents a 43.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard Wallace sold 87,568 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.95, for a total value of $17,421,653.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 778,944 shares in the company, valued at approximately $154,970,908.80. This trade represents a 10.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 219,173 shares of company stock worth $42,201,914 over the last three months. 79.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting KLA

Here are the key news stories impacting KLA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KLA’s reported results showed strong growth: revenue rose 29% year over year, margins expanded, and the company beat analyst expectations. Management’s outlook points to further growth, with second-quarter revenue projected to increase 43% year over year and EPS to rise more than 60%, supported by AI-related demand. Article: KLA: Unfairly Caught Up In The Tech Carnage
• Positive Sentiment: KLA sees AI demand, advanced packaging and memory driving semiconductor-equipment market growth, with the market expected to exceed $200 billion in 2027. This outlook supports the case for continued demand for its equipment. Article: KLAC Q1 Earnings Call Highlights AI Demand and 2027 Growth Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share, payable Dec. 1 to shareholders of record Nov. 16. The payout adds to shareholder returns. Article: KLA Declares Regular Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: ETFs reportedly bought $52.3 million of KLAC shares on Nov. 3, indicating fund demand, though this does not necessarily predict future performance. Article: ETFs Bought $52.3 Million of Kla-Tencor (KLAC) on Nov. 3
• Neutral Sentiment: One market commentary argues KLA has been caught up in a broader tech selloff despite its strong outlook, suggesting recent weakness may reflect sector sentiment more than deterioration in company fundamentals. Article: KLA: Unfairly Caught Up In The Tech Carnage
• Negative Sentiment: Put-option trading rose sharply on Nov. 4, with 47,908 puts traded—167% above the average daily volume. The increase may indicate heightened hedging or bearish speculation, although options activity alone does not establish the direction of future trading.

KLA Price Performance

NASDAQ:KLAC opened at $129.80 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $169.12 billion, a PE ratio of 32.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.49. KLA Corporation has a 12 month low of $107.20 and a 12 month high of $307.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The company's 50-day moving average price is $175.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $181.73.

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The semiconductor company reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.04 billion. KLA had a net margin of 36.25% and a return on equity of 89.30%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $8.47 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that KLA Corporation will post 5.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on KLAC. Piper Sandler set a $425.00 price target on shares of KLA in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of KLA from $215.00 to $190.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of KLA in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of KLA from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of KLA from $290.00 to $275.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, KLA has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $220.35.

About KLA

KLA Corporation NASDAQ: KLAC develops process control, inspection and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and other advanced manufacturing industries. Its technologies help manufacturers identify defects, measure critical dimensions and monitor production processes to improve quality, reliability and manufacturing efficiency.

The company's product portfolio includes wafer and reticle inspection systems, metrology and measurement tools, defect review and classification systems, and software for analyzing manufacturing data.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KLAC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for KLA Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.